Directed by Marielle Heller
Starring Tom Hanks, Mathew Rhys, Chris Cooper
Mr. Rogers is a well-known children’s tv personality. I entered the film knowing little about him, the main motivation for me was the great Tom Hanks.
I loved how the film used the normal opening for Mr. Rogers’s show as an intro to the story. Lloyd is a writer for a magazine and he is assigned to write a piece about Fred Rogers famous for his kids tv show. At first meeting the skeptic writer could not believe that Rogers was such a good person. As he kept meeting Rogers he discovers more about himself than about Rogers.
What a beautiful story and to hear the writer of the article from which the movie is based that minor few details the things shown in the film are true makes it even more amazing. Tom Junod was assigned to do a piece and he says that Rogers picked him because he felt he could help him, and he did. This movie inspires us to remember that we are all the same and how we can change someone’s life just by being kind. It dis not sell Mr. Rogers as a perfect man, it just showed a man who cared and tried to bless everyone around him.
The style of the film I felt was unique and really used Fred Rogers as a figure that moves the story rather than a bio-film about him. The story is about Lloyd really and it made it better that if it was just a bio-pic, it gave it heart.
Tom Hanks, what else is there to say about one of the best actors of all time. He is wonderful in this film. He is in my top 5 this year to be nominated for Best Actor in Oscar’s and Golden Globes. I did not know that Chris Cooper was in this film and he was also great. The cast really were are good, I don’t know other films where Mathew Rhys has appeared on, but he did a great job at showing the characters transitions through the film.
It is a sad story at times, but also a refreshing story about the power of love and forgiveness. I absolutely love it.